When asked if he knew what a rouge was, the former Southwest High standout athlete and University of North Carolina cornerback wasn’t aware of a scoring system used in the Canadian Football League — and not in American football — that awards one point to a team that kicks the ball into the end zone and the receiving team doesn’t return it out.

“I’m definitely going to have to read the rule book,” Burney said with a laugh. “I have to watch a lot of game film.”

That’s just a small price to pay for the 25-year-old Burney after he recently signed a two-year deal with the Montreal Alouettes of the CFL.

The 5-foot-9, 190-pound Burney is coming off his second stint with the Carolina Panthers’ practice squad.

“My agent (Peter Schaffer) hit me up a while ago about it and I told him I’d think about it because I really wanted to play in the NFL and get another shot there,” Burney said in a telephone interview Wednesday. “When the Panthers got a new general manager, I talked to the interim general manager and he told me that this (CFL) would be the best opportunity for me because I would definitely get to play.

“They (Alouettes) wanted to guarantee me a contract. I knew that was the best decision for me.”

Burney said it’s a relief making a professional football team’s game-day roster after being a practice squad player with the Panthers and St. Louis Rams after graduating from UNC in 2011.

He also said the feedback he’s received from CFL players has been positive.

“It’s a big relief,” he said. “Everybody has given me mixed (reactions) when I tell people I’m going there. But it’s a chance to go play football and a lot of guys don’t even get that opportunity. So I’m blessed to go play and I’m definitely big-time excited.”

Last year the Alouettes went 11-7 and won the East Division before losing 27-20 in the Division finals of the playoffs to the Toronto Argonauts, who eventually won the Grey Cup, the CFL’s version of the NFL’s Super Bowl.

Burney, who had 210 tackles, 2 sacks and 11 interceptions at UNC, said the Alouettes start mini-camp on April 26 in Orlando. The team opens the season June 13 at the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

“We got mini-camp and I’ll get welcomed into it for a week and then feed off that,” Burney said. “You have receivers who can get a 10-yard head start, which is going to be different. You will have to adapt. But football is football.”

But not only will Burney have to adjust to the different rules of the CFL, he will also have to adjust to living outside the United States. He said he’s never been to Canada before.

“I’m definitely nervous because I’ve never been that far from home,” Burney said. “But I’m looking forward to it.”